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The Medieval Murderers #3
House of Shadows
Bermondsey Priory, 1114: A young chaplain succumbs to the temptations of the flesh and suffers a gruesome punishment. From that moment the monastery is cursed and over the next 500 years, murder and treachery abound inside its hallowed walls. A beautiful young bride found dead two days before her wedding; a ghostly figure warns of impending doom; there is a plot to depose King Edward II; all the while mad monks and errant priests abound. Even the poet Chaucer finds himself drawn into the dark deeds and violent death which pervade this unhappy place.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
19 people are currently reading
529 people want to read
About the author
The Medieval Murderers
22 books73 followersA pseudonym used for collaborative works by the following:
Simon Beaufort,
Philip Gooden,
Susanna Gregory,
Michael Jecks,
Bernard Knight,
Karen Maitland,
Ian Morson, and
C.J. Sansom.
Simon Beaufort,
Philip Gooden,
Susanna Gregory,
Michael Jecks,
Bernard Knight,
Karen Maitland,
Ian Morson, and
C.J. Sansom.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 25, 2012
I enjoyed this. The concept was a hard one, because trying to think of a new theme for Medieval Murderers wasn't ever going to be easy, but when we hit upon the idea of a monastery on the south bank of the Thames, the story began to take off.
I have to say, I cheated.
Whereas all my colleagues got very intrigued with the internal layout of the convent, looking to archaeological records and ancient reports, I had other books to write, so instead I sat down and looked at what the marshes and surrounding area was like. And found out a vast amount about the way that London was, which helped me with other books!
I have to say, I cheated.
Whereas all my colleagues got very intrigued with the internal layout of the convent, looking to archaeological records and ancient reports, I had other books to write, so instead I sat down and looked at what the marshes and surrounding area was like. And found out a vast amount about the way that London was, which helped me with other books!
December 26, 2007
A wonderful mystery collaboration by several authors. The story is tied into one abbey, and is a compendium of short mystery stories taking place over several centuries. I liked some of the stories/writing styles better than others, but thought the concept was brilliant.
July 12, 2024
This is the third book of stories written around a central theme by a group of medieval mystery writers. One of them, Michael Jecks, is the author of the Knights Templar Mysteries series, which I have been reading since he began them many years ago. I’m very partial to all of Mike’s work.
The Prologue takes place in 1114 and sets the stage. A substantial grant has been given to the Cluniac monks in France to set up an Abbey in Bermondsey England. Alas, the land is a bog, and the cellars always damp. One particular cellar is worse than the others, and it is here that most of the action takes place. A pair of star-crossed lovers meet their fate at Bermondsey.
Act One, 1196, by Bernard Knight. In this story Crowner John, coroner of Exeter, his clerk Thomas de Peyne, and his officer Gwyn of Polruan are sent to Bermondsey Abbey to investigate the death of King Richard, The Lionheart’s 16 year old ward on the eve of her marriage. She was found at the bottom of the stairs in the perpetually damp cellerer’s storeroom. Given the reactions of the monks, Sir John knows something very wrong is going on in the Abbey.
Act Two, 1270, by Ian Morson. Prior John de Chartres finds the young Brother Peter de Swynford raving deliriously. Prior John had been sent from France to fix the serious problems at Bermondsey. He thinks Peter has been fasting too much. John thought he had things in hand, but now Peter had gone mad, and three monks had gone missing.
William Falconer, Regent Master of Oxford University, is on his way back from Canterbury having been talked into going there with his friend Roger Bacon. His horse goes lame and he stops at Bermondsey Priory. When he hears screaming he finds the monks trying to beat the devil out of Brother Peter. To complicate matters, one of the missing monks is a Jewish convert, and his mother is there trying to find out what’s happened to her son. I’ll stop here and let you wonder how things turn out. *You might want to read a bit about the Kabbalah, a Jewish mystical book, since it has bearing on the story.
Act Three, 1324, by Michael Jecks. You all should know by now how much I love the characters Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Simon Puttock. In this story, a young couple has just been married at Bermondsey by Brother Lawrence. The groom had just taken his father’s wealth and his prospective bride. Then she is found dead in the priory.
Unfortunately, the dead girl was the daughter of a friend of Sir Hugh le Despenser, and he demands the culprit is found. To that end, Sir Baldwin is sent to discover the murderer. The local coroner is a fool, and it becomes evident that Sir Baldwin and Simon are going to have to solve the case without any local help. Will he?
Act Four, 1373, by Philip Gooden. Our detective in this story is none other than the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. He is at Bermondsey so he can write in peace and quiet. But outside his window, he hears two workmen, one with a bad arm, arguing and nearly coming to blows.
The new prior, Richard, is the first Englishman to hold the post. He is determined to revitalize Bermondsey, including the buildings themselves. Chaucer hears more commotion and looks out to find the man with the bad arm, Adam, standing over the body of the other workman holding a bloody chisel.
Shortly thereafter, Adam is found hanging in the cemetery. Everyone thinks Adam has committed suicide over his guilt. Chaucer thinks not! He begins an investigation that takes him quite by surprise.
Act Five, 1663, by Susanna Gregory. I have to admit right up front that this is my least favorite tale. This story follows Thomas Chaloner, a spy for the Lord Chancellor of England. By now, Bermondsey Abbey is long gone, having been given away and destroyed during the Dessolution by Henry VIII. All that’s left is a ramshackle house that is rented out to feed the gambling debts of the owner.
Chaloner is spying on a group suspected of plotting treason against the king. Sounds good. However, the plot gets so muddled that you have a hard time keeping track of who is who and what is what. I like complexity, but it has to flow. This one dances around in circles. The redeeming character, an old lady, is the only good part of the story, and you have to slog through the rest of it to discover her. I was so bored I took time to find out the name Chaloner comes from the French chaloun, which means blanket. It was given to wool and blanket makers. But just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean you wouldn't so do read it.
Now for the best tidbit, the Epilogue, which takes place in 2004. Here we visit the archeological dig of the Bermondsey Abbey ruins prior to the construction of a modern set of buildings. What they find, and what happens to, it is a real jolt! But also fiction.
I’ve left so much out of this review so that I could give you just a taste of all the stories. They are so much richer than my short summaries. If you like historical mysteries you will like this book.
The Prologue takes place in 1114 and sets the stage. A substantial grant has been given to the Cluniac monks in France to set up an Abbey in Bermondsey England. Alas, the land is a bog, and the cellars always damp. One particular cellar is worse than the others, and it is here that most of the action takes place. A pair of star-crossed lovers meet their fate at Bermondsey.
Act One, 1196, by Bernard Knight. In this story Crowner John, coroner of Exeter, his clerk Thomas de Peyne, and his officer Gwyn of Polruan are sent to Bermondsey Abbey to investigate the death of King Richard, The Lionheart’s 16 year old ward on the eve of her marriage. She was found at the bottom of the stairs in the perpetually damp cellerer’s storeroom. Given the reactions of the monks, Sir John knows something very wrong is going on in the Abbey.
Act Two, 1270, by Ian Morson. Prior John de Chartres finds the young Brother Peter de Swynford raving deliriously. Prior John had been sent from France to fix the serious problems at Bermondsey. He thinks Peter has been fasting too much. John thought he had things in hand, but now Peter had gone mad, and three monks had gone missing.
William Falconer, Regent Master of Oxford University, is on his way back from Canterbury having been talked into going there with his friend Roger Bacon. His horse goes lame and he stops at Bermondsey Priory. When he hears screaming he finds the monks trying to beat the devil out of Brother Peter. To complicate matters, one of the missing monks is a Jewish convert, and his mother is there trying to find out what’s happened to her son. I’ll stop here and let you wonder how things turn out. *You might want to read a bit about the Kabbalah, a Jewish mystical book, since it has bearing on the story.
Act Three, 1324, by Michael Jecks. You all should know by now how much I love the characters Sir Baldwin de Furnshill and Simon Puttock. In this story, a young couple has just been married at Bermondsey by Brother Lawrence. The groom had just taken his father’s wealth and his prospective bride. Then she is found dead in the priory.
Unfortunately, the dead girl was the daughter of a friend of Sir Hugh le Despenser, and he demands the culprit is found. To that end, Sir Baldwin is sent to discover the murderer. The local coroner is a fool, and it becomes evident that Sir Baldwin and Simon are going to have to solve the case without any local help. Will he?
Act Four, 1373, by Philip Gooden. Our detective in this story is none other than the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. He is at Bermondsey so he can write in peace and quiet. But outside his window, he hears two workmen, one with a bad arm, arguing and nearly coming to blows.
The new prior, Richard, is the first Englishman to hold the post. He is determined to revitalize Bermondsey, including the buildings themselves. Chaucer hears more commotion and looks out to find the man with the bad arm, Adam, standing over the body of the other workman holding a bloody chisel.
Shortly thereafter, Adam is found hanging in the cemetery. Everyone thinks Adam has committed suicide over his guilt. Chaucer thinks not! He begins an investigation that takes him quite by surprise.
Act Five, 1663, by Susanna Gregory. I have to admit right up front that this is my least favorite tale. This story follows Thomas Chaloner, a spy for the Lord Chancellor of England. By now, Bermondsey Abbey is long gone, having been given away and destroyed during the Dessolution by Henry VIII. All that’s left is a ramshackle house that is rented out to feed the gambling debts of the owner.
Chaloner is spying on a group suspected of plotting treason against the king. Sounds good. However, the plot gets so muddled that you have a hard time keeping track of who is who and what is what. I like complexity, but it has to flow. This one dances around in circles. The redeeming character, an old lady, is the only good part of the story, and you have to slog through the rest of it to discover her. I was so bored I took time to find out the name Chaloner comes from the French chaloun, which means blanket. It was given to wool and blanket makers. But just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean you wouldn't so do read it.
Now for the best tidbit, the Epilogue, which takes place in 2004. Here we visit the archeological dig of the Bermondsey Abbey ruins prior to the construction of a modern set of buildings. What they find, and what happens to, it is a real jolt! But also fiction.
I’ve left so much out of this review so that I could give you just a taste of all the stories. They are so much richer than my short summaries. If you like historical mysteries you will like this book.
October 18, 2017
(6/10) I enjoyed these short stories, some more than others. I liked the overarching story of the monastery and thought all the mysteries were unique so it wasn't too repetitive. Looking forward to trying the rest of the series.
March 19, 2011
I kind of expected more from this book. Mystery and murder, combined with various characters playing detectives along the years on a seemingly haunted location could have been a great basis for a story but in this case it fell just short of interesting. It's a book about the story and not about characters and I really wanted to like it more...
October 9, 2012
Uneven, but to be expected because it's got five different authors. Still loving the concept of an object (in this case a building) that traces its way through five novellas. Found the "surprise" of the epilogue a bit predictable (maybe it wasn't meant to be a surprise?).
August 9, 2014
A light, fun read for the most part. Some chapters are definitely better than others. I was amused by the chapter in which Juliet Capun was married in secret by a Friar Lawrence. I was less amused by the description of a number of characters watching a lunar eclipse in the pouring rain.
March 20, 2014
The Medieval Murderers books are very similar in essemce but there is something compulsive about them that I enjoy.
August 27, 2021
Five short mysteries by leading authors in the historical mystery genre. The stories are linked by the setting of Bermondsey Priory, where the crimes take place. The stories span almost 500 years from 1196 to the Restoration in the 1660s, and are full of mad monks, treacherous lords and ghostly figures.
These stories were entertaining and well researched. Those who have read books by these authors previously will enjoy meeting familiar characters, but a first time reader who likes historical fiction will find plenty to appreciate too.
I did find the solutions to the mysteries to follow a very similar pattern at times, so they were relatively easy to solve, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the settings and the characters.
These stories were entertaining and well researched. Those who have read books by these authors previously will enjoy meeting familiar characters, but a first time reader who likes historical fiction will find plenty to appreciate too.
I did find the solutions to the mysteries to follow a very similar pattern at times, so they were relatively easy to solve, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the settings and the characters.
April 13, 2018
While an interesting concept (series of murders at same location but in different eras), I found the stories didn’t capture my interest. I gave up after Act 3, and then read the Epilogue (2004) to find out what had happened to the couple who had disappeared in the Prologue (1114). The storytelling put me to sleep and I had to force myself to get through the first three acts. Did not finish.
Prologue 1114 and Act I: B. Knight
Act II 1270: I. Morson
Act III 1325: M. Jecks
Act IV 1373: P. Gooden
Act V 1663: S. Gregory
Epilogue 2004: B. Knight
Prologue 1114 and Act I: B. Knight
Act II 1270: I. Morson
Act III 1325: M. Jecks
Act IV 1373: P. Gooden
Act V 1663: S. Gregory
Epilogue 2004: B. Knight
August 9, 2019
While I enjoyed each of the stories, they didn't grab me from the outset like the stories in the first two books in the series. I'm still having trouble keeping some of the recurring characters straight, but I think that will become easier with each book. If you are already familiar with them, then I can only assume you'd enjoy these little snippets of their lives.
April 13, 2023
This part of the series revolves around a building. This building has a long history with dark legends of ghosts, curses, and a history of murder. It was very entertaining to go through each short story solving the individual mysteries.
September 8, 2019
The setting of a monastery in Bermondsey, London existed, the tales were all fictional. Rather a disjointed story by nature of it being composed of tales, the Prologue tied up with the Epilogue.
December 8, 2019
Not bad but seemed light on plot. But an easy read for on a plane, holiday, etc.
December 23, 2019
No motivation to finish. It wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t good enough to keep me interested:
July 14, 2020
2.5 stars
November 25, 2023
2.5. I didn't like the mix of writing styles. Made it really hard to get into it
June 14, 2025
A good read. I enjoyed most of the stories (except Ian Morson's - again!) but Crowner John was a particular favourite.
December 1, 2025
Tāda pliekana. Pirmās divas daļas izmocīju, tālāk neturpināšu.
November 22, 2014
I did some research to find a new author who might dabble in medieval murder mysteries since I have run out of Ellis Peters books to read. This looked interesting, and the added perk of the author being listed simply as "the medieval murderers" sounded fun, in a bookish way. This particular book is a series of short stories all relating to the same setting and referring back to each other as they span hundreds of years time around a certain priory near London. Unfortunately, the authors have sacrificed character realism for building design accuracy. The modern phrases and some modern attitudes simply jarred me over and over as I struggled to keep reading. Along the way, I got tired of the way characetrs swore, it was actually more offensive than real swearing. It was so incredibly unlikely that monks or even men of the world would refer to their god or their savior with such coarseness.
Of course, the 'man of science' was the intelligent, compassionate, nay, modern one. The more religious a character was, the more likely to be a hypocrite, madman, troglodyte, or evil soul. I am so tired of this stereotype.
Oh Ellis Peters, wherefore art thou???
I got halfway into the third story- almost halfway into this book, and decided I just could not waste my time on this. The uneven writing within each story and the underlying assumptions of the authors with their trite stereotypes, the lacking description, the hit-me-over-the-head repetition of facts that the authors felt I just had to remember--I'm just going to go reread some Brother Cadfael. These folks and their series are off my list.
Of course, the 'man of science' was the intelligent, compassionate, nay, modern one. The more religious a character was, the more likely to be a hypocrite, madman, troglodyte, or evil soul. I am so tired of this stereotype.
Oh Ellis Peters, wherefore art thou???
I got halfway into the third story- almost halfway into this book, and decided I just could not waste my time on this. The uneven writing within each story and the underlying assumptions of the authors with their trite stereotypes, the lacking description, the hit-me-over-the-head repetition of facts that the authors felt I just had to remember--I'm just going to go reread some Brother Cadfael. These folks and their series are off my list.
February 17, 2012
I enjoyed this more than the Tainted relic. A reappearance for some of the characters. The short stories being based around Bermondsey Monastrey. There was more continuity in this one. A good holiday read.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2010
Very good the team of writers compliment one another well
February 8, 2015
Not quite as good as the other books in the series. Perhaps the premise made it a bit more difficult.
November 1, 2016
Really enjoyed this one. I could picture myself in the midst of things
January 31, 2017
Better than Tainted Relic. It's as if the writers had settled more into the characters and were "teaching" less. A lesson for those of us writing sequels.
December 7, 2023
One story was very good the others are a bit heavy in history and historical words for things
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews